Consensus Reports

These reports are unique, authoritative expert evaluations. Each report
is produced by a committee of experts selected by the Academy to address
a particular statement of task and is subject to a rigorous,
independent peer review.

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Coal mine dust lung disease continues to be an important and complex problem affecting coal miners in the United States. Although the number of cases dropped precipitously since the late 1960s, an increase in the prevalence and severity of the disease has been documented since about 2000. Reliable information on respirable coal mine dust (RCMD) exposures in underground coal mines is crucial for predicting, reducing, and preventing mine workers...
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The U.S. Gulf of Mexico coastline provides a valuable setting to study deeply connected natural and human interactions. This is in large part because of the historical, and continuing, concentration of coastal development, human population, and infrastructure within a region that is particularly vulnerable to hurricanes and sea level rise. To promote the resilience and maintain the habitability of the coast into the future, we need a bette...
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Public Briefing: January 25 at 2:00 p.m.
The public is invited to a presentation to learn about the findings of this study beginning at 2 p.m. on Thursday, January 25 at the Red Lion Hotel in Kelso.
Register today!
The massive volumes of volcanic debris deposited in the Spirit Lake and the Toutle River system during the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens in southwest Washington State drastically changed the region and left its 50,00...
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The United States faces numerous, varied, and evolving threats to national security, including terrorism, scarcity and disruption of food and water supplies, extreme weather events, and regional conflicts around the world. Effectively managing these threats requires intelligence that not only assesses what is happening now, but that also anticipates potential future threats. The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) is responsible fo...
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Despite broad understanding of volcanoes, key questions regarding the timing, duration, style, size, and consequences of volcanic eruptions remain unanswered, says a new report by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. To improve eruption forecasting and warnings to save lives, the report identifies three grand challenges for the volcanic science community.
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